When You Only Eat Cereal, This Is What Happens To Your Body
Cereal is one of those versatile foods that can be enjoyed at any time of the day, no matter whether it's for breakfast or a midnight snack. And whenever you're craving a bowl of crispy, crunchy goodness doused in milk, there are seemingly endless options to choose from. In the mood for something healthy?
“Your body needs a range of vitamins and minerals on a daily basis — eating cereal twice a day could mean that you're missing out on zinc, iron, omega 3's etc.”
When you're pouring your second serving — and wondering why it's more addicting than a bag of chips — you might feel like you could live on cereal alone. Breakfast, lunch, even dinner — all you need is a bowl of the good stuff. There are even some people who swear by the "cereal diet," which started when Special K encouraged its customers to swap out meals for their cereal (via Healthline). While it may sound tempting, it's not the best idea in terms of your health. Here's why eating solely cereal won't do your body any favors.
You'll be missing out on key nutrients
The scientific reason you shouldn't just be eating cereal? You'll likely end up with nutrient depletion, Health Digest cautions. According to dietitian Azmina Govindji, "Your body needs a range of vitamins and minerals on a daily basis — eating cereal twice a day could mean that you're missing out on zinc, iron, omega 3's etc." Not only that, but even the "healthier" cereals can be very high in sugar — so if that's all you're eating, your daily sugar intake is likely going to be higher than the American Heart Association's recommended 25 grams (for women) and 36 grams (for men).
Psst: Just because you may lose weight at first if you're only consuming cereal doesn't mean it's healthy. Weight loss is likely due to how calorie-restrictive the "cereal diet" tends to be, but it's not sustainable (via Health Digest). After all, eventually you're going to want to chow down on a juicy burger or dig into a crisp salad, right?
